* It’s not true, Provost counters
Four workers of the Abia State College of Education (Technical), Arochukwu (ASCETA), have reportedly died in the past two weeks, the latest having occurred on Wednesday night.
The chairman of ASCETA College of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Mr. Kelvin Egesi, attributed the deaths to starvation, as the workers are owed 32 months arrears of salary.
Egesi said despite the deaths, the Provost of the College, Dr. Philip Nto, threatened to sack him for demanding the payment of his colleagues’ salary arrears.
The COEASU chairman listed the four staff who died in the past two weeks as Mr. Stephen Amaraihu, Dr. Chioma Uchenna, Dr. Uchechi S. Chijioke and Mr. Johnbul Okpudo.
“The college staff are owed 32 months’ salary arrears and they are dying one after the other due to hunger and starvation.
“No money to feed, no money to pay hospital and other bills. The workers are planning to go to Umuahia to sit down at the Government House until they starve to death. They said, they would come with coffins.
“What again do we do? The governor made a promise in July that government will pay five months arrears(of salaries) in August and subsequently pay the rest, but nothing has happened till now. God have mercy,” Egesi lamented.
Meanwhile, the ASCETA COEASU chairman alleged that the Provost, Dr. Nto instructed the Registrar of the college, Iyke Odoemelam, to commence the process of sacking him.
Egesi said his offence is that he demanded the payment of the workers’ salary arrears.
“Information reaching me has it that the provost has instructed the Registrar to start the process of sacking me from next week because of my publications demanding the payment of salary arrears of the workers.”
The union leader alleged that the Provost said with such demands, he is embarrassing the Abia State government and the school management.
“What next after my sack? He wants our voice not to be heard and the staff to keep dying of hunger and starvation.”
However, Nto has reportedly denied the allegation, adding there is no way he would sack the union leader unless he fails to do his job.
“Is ASCETA a private school where you wake up and sack someone for requesting for his salary? he queried.
But in a swift reaction, he Provost of the college, Dr. Nto debunked the claim in its entirety, describing the story as satanic.
He said out of four staff alleged to have died of starvation, three had already left the services of the college while there had not been an autopsy by the family of the serving staff to determine the actual cause of death.
Nto described as untrue the allegation by a section of the staff that workers were being owed 32 months arrears of salaries.
According to him, whereas the college is actually in arrears of salaries like other federal and state institutions as a result of the global economic crisis, those bandying the outrageous figures are engaging in vicious propaganda.
The Provost explained that “some staff who were deficient in academic qualification and performance were released to go since two years ago. They are mostly the people claiming that they are owed 32 months arrears of salaries.”
The state government, he continued, is making serious efforts to pay genuine workers of ASCETA in line with the promise of Governor Okezie ikpeazu.